Staircase Design: How to Choose the Most Suitable Design.

Are you in the market for a new staircase in your home? As you will have noticed, there are countless designs for staircases and it can sometimes be confusing to know which style would suit your home best. In this article, we discuss how you can select the most suitable design of staircase for your property. 

Whether you elect to install a dramatic winding staircase or a straight one, each staircase has its own advantages and disadvantages. Staircases come in all shapes and sizes and all kinds of materials: from sweeping, narrow or wide to staircases that have been from steel, wood and wrought iron. Either way, the style you choose will inevitably set the tone for the entire look and feel of the area surrounding it. 

To get started, it is always a good idea to contact a professional for a consultation so that you purchase the most suitable parts and accessories. 

The amount of space you have available is probably the most important factor. This will help you to decide if your home is best suited to a straight staircase (which makes use of a lot of linear space but maximizes the space around the staircase) or a wide and sweeping staircase where space is not really an issue and you would like to make a grand statement with the stairs. 

The next consideration for your new staircase project is how much money you have available. Your budget restricts you in terms of the shape, design and materials that can be used for your stairs. When consulting with your staircase professional, you will soon learn that a set of guide-line steel stairs is usually much more cost-effective than going with a wooden set of stairs, or even a glass staircase. Installing a spiral staircase or straight set is normally more expensive than if you were to opt for a helical or curved staircase. Obviously, you could always speak to your consultant and ask them how you can incorporate your desired material in the most cost-effective way and achieve a great-looking result. 

The best way to go about selecting possible options is to browse a staircase website and to look at various images of staircases. From there, it is suggested that you choose the designs that you prefer the most and that you feel would look the best in your home. Consult with your staircase professional to obtain quotes and decide if the overall amount is doable or not. 

Once you have set your budget, you can then shortlist a few options. 

Spiral Stairs

Spiral staircases are extremely popular for their interesting appearance as well as their relatively inexpensive cost. Additionally, they can also help you to economize your space around the staircase. We recommend this type of staircase if you are looking for stairs in your basement, attic or second-floor home extension. More often than not, a spiral staircase will consists of either hardwood, steel, aluminum or even a combination of two or all three of these materials. Hardwood and metal is an attractive option but should you wish to install a different combination, this should definitely be possible. Alternatively, you could select a basic spiral staircase design and then tailor make it with your preferred balusters, handrails, treads and newel posts. 

Hardwood stairs are most often, but not always, suited to traditional homes. Here, you can make a selection from many types of wood such as mahogany, pine, red oak, ash, cherry, poplar, red oak and more. In addition, you will likely be able to choose your own wood finish (eg. hot-dipped for a custom color). You can then elect for your treads to be either rubber, steel-based, with gratings, hardwood or plywood. 

After selecting your wood type and finish, you would then need to decide in which direction you would like your stairs to twist. 

Straight Stairs 

Although not the most cost-effective option, a straight staircase is actually the most common type chosen by homeowners. With a straight up or down, design, a straight staircase can be purchased as a ready-made kit and can be easily installed to your landings. You can normally save a lot of money if you choose not to customize a straight staircase as tailor-making comes at a high premium. 

Circular Stairs 

You will most often find a circular staircase in a modern and very high-end home. Although these types of staircases can be bought ready to install, they do require professional assistance as they can be extremely heavy and would need an industrial lifting device to fit. 

Depending on the material you select, prices for a circular staircase will vary greatly, especially if you would like a customized set. Generally, a circular staircase will have to be specially made to fit your particular home and there is not a “one-size-fits-all” circular staircase as every home is different. The height of the stairs, as well as your home’s floor-to-floor dimensions will have to be taken into account for this type of staircase. This is normally the most pricey option, even without a lot of customization. 

Be aware of your region’s building codes.

As a general rule of thumb, building codes must always comply to a national (or federal) standard. However, regulations can vary from state to state and it is very important to check with your local building department beforehand to ensure that you are installing your staircase according to the correct depths and widths. These regulations are in place for safety reasons and are there to protect all who make use of your stairs. 

Whether you are building a new home, you need to replace your current staircase or you are adding on another story to your home, deciding on the right staircase can be a tricky process. However, if you carefully follow the above tips and advice, you should easily be able to pick out the most suitable design staircase for your particular home.